Carl roster



V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIcE. f

'OARL KOSTER, OF COLOGNE, GERMANY.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING VENEERS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 523,582, dated July24,1894. Application filed March 22, 1894. Serial No. 504,699. (Nospecimens.).

To all whom it may concern:

Be'it known that I, CARL K6STER, a subject Y of the King of Prussia,residing at Cologne, (Ooln,) in the Province of Rheni'sh Prussia,Kingdom of Prussia, and German Empire, have invented new and usefulImprovements 1n Processes of Manufacturing Veneers, of

which the following is a specification.

According to the process which forms the subject matter of this presentinvention, the

- mosaic work or veneers imitating marble.

The production of veneers with a wood grain which is as near as possiblealike to the grain of natural wood, is based upon the conception, thatthe block from which the veneers are out, can be formed by placing rounda suit: able core a series of concentric layers of the mass, whichlayers correspond to the year rings of the natural wood. In other wordsa block is produced in a manner similar to that in which the trunk of atree grows in nature. If the layers succeed each other according to thenature of the wood to be imitated in suitable alternation of thecoloration I and the block is cut transversely into veneers, suchveneers show on their faces a configuration precisely like the naturalwood grain. I

The mass which can be used successfully for the production of blocks forveneers having the natural wood grain can be prepared as follows: (Theparts are by weight.) Three parts of glue boiled in water are mixedwhile hot with one part of glycerin and into this mixture is int-reduceda sufficient quantity of fossil meal to producea paste of suchconsistency that the same after having been colored by the addition ofsuitable coloring matters, can be layed on by means of a suitable brush.For the core I can use with advantage a knotty stick of wood to thesurface of which is applied a layer of the above described mass in aboutthree successive coats; The layer thus obtained is dried and then asecond layer of the mass is applied in a slightly different hue orcolor, which is again dried andin 5 5 this manner a successive series ofconcentric layers is applied, the hues or colors of which arealternately darker and lighter, until a thick block is obtained whichresemblesa portion of the trunk of atree free from bark. By suitablemanipulations in addition to the coloration the imitation'of differentkinds of wood is improved; for instance an oak grain closely resembling.the natural oak grain isobtained, if in each layer of the mass after thesame has been applied to the core, small rills are formed which run in alongitudinal direction and which can be readily produced by means of abrush formed of stiff bristles so that when the layer has become dry,the next layer enters into these rills thereby producing in the firstlayer small spots of a different hue or color.

From the block formed as above described veneers of any desirablethickness can be cut which can be readily applied to any desired surfaceby means of glue or other suitable adhesive substance.

After my veneers have been applied and permitted to dry for abouttwenty-four hours, they can be treatedlike ordinary veneers, that is tosay, they can be oiled, ground, waxed, polished or lacquered.

My veneers can be cut as thin as paper and applied to all kinds ofmoldings such for instance as picture frames or they can be cut intolayers or plates of sufficient thickness for parquetry such as inlayedfloors and these plates being very pliable can be readily applied toold, uneven floors all rugged spots 0 existing in the floor after myplates have been laid, being easily removed by means of a plane. I v

Floors of great durability can be obtained by using thin veneers madeaccording to my 5 invention which are formed into layers of the requiredthickness, being secured together by oil or lac which permeates the thinveneers,

rendering the mass hard and impermeable to moisture.

Mosaic veneers are obtained from blocks formed of a series of rods ofdifferent colors which are placed-lengthwise against each other andunited by glue or othersuitable IOO adhesive. These blocks are cuttransversely to the length of the rods into plates of the desiredthickness.

Marbled veneers are obtained from blocks which are best formed in moldsin which pieces of the mass in different colors are collected and unitedin such a manner that a cross section of the block has the appearance ofmarble.

The various articles formed of my veneers hardly exceed in cost theapplication of a good coat of paint in imitation to wood grain or tomarble and they are much superior in their close resemblance to natureand in durability. They can be easily freshened up and damaged portionscan be repaired so as to obliterate all traces of the damage.

The various articles formed by or covered with my veneers can hardly bedistinguished from those where natural wood is used. Furthermore from myveneers when out in suit able thickness various ornaments can beproduced by pressing.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The within described process of producing veneers which consists inapplying to a core successive concentric layers of a plastic mass incontrasting colors until a block of suitable thickness is obtained, thencutting this block in a direction transversely to the length of its corein sheets or plates of the required thickness substantially asdescribed.

2. The process herein described of produc-- ing veneers havingimitations of natural wood grain, which consists in preparing a woodencore, applying to said core successive concentric layers of a plasticmass in contrasting colors, drying the layers while building up thewhole mass, and finally cutting through the layers and wooden core in adirection transversely to the longitudinal axis of the core to formsheets or plates of the required thickness, substantially as set forth.

3. A new composition of matter consisting of glue, glycerin and fossilmeal substantially as described.

' In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in thepresence of twosubscribing witnesses.

CARL KOSTER, Witnesses:

FRANZ I-IEURER, CARL MITTAG.

